High-rise hype in Los Angeles and Las Vegas

This weekend will mark a milestone in downtown's South Park, as the last of the South Group's high-rise residential towers has its grand opening. These are pioneering developments that downtown boosters hope will be followed by two much bigger projects: Grand Avenue on Bunker Hill and Park Fifth near Pershing Square. With the economic meltdown, we'll have to see. But the Downtown News reports the South Group's trio of towers is worth noting:

The curiously named Evo, the third and final installment of a project from Portland-based developer the South Group, has its grand opening on Sunday, Oct. 5. It marks the transformation of a block that was empty five years ago to one that has more than 700 residences today. It also marks the culmination of a $305 million investment.

There's also a high-rise boom going on in Vegas, to the dismay of aviation officials. According to the Associated Press:

Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration say new high-rise buildings in Las Vegas could complicate flights in the region in the future. Del Meadows, air traffic manager for the Las Vegas district of the FAA, says each new building takes more airspace away. Meadows says air traffic controllers see the city’s skyline as a slope angling upward from the runways just southeast of the Las Vegas Strip.

-- Shelby Grad

Photo: Los Angeles Times